Should Marijuana Be Legalized?

There is an on-going debate on whether marijuana should be legalised, where sources evaluate both the advantages and disadvantages of legalising it. In this regards, Emmett and Nice considers that marijuana should not be legalised as it is dangerous for the health of individuals, where it can potentially cause short term memory problems, addiction, schizophrenia and even cancer. On the other hand, Bello identifies the benefits of marijuana medically and states that it has the ability to relieve the feeling of nausea in cancer and HIV patients and slow down the development of Alzheimer. Also, it is stated to help control epileptic seizures and cure diseases related to the inflammation of bowels. However, it has also been noted for its side effects relating to emotional misbalance, where marijuana that is used for recreational purposes leads to feelings of anxiety, panic and unjustified fear.

In addition to health effects, Rosenthal, Kubby and Newhart argue that marijuana should be legalised as if it is illegal, it is going to cost the nation more and more in investigations and punishments and the money of the tax payer will have be allocated to a cause, less important than others. This is especially true given that nations have other issues such as poverty and unemployment to deal with, where nations face the ever challenging economic issue of scarcity. Moreover, if marijuana is legalised, it will bring in additional tax revenue for the country.

Furthermore, prohibition of marijuana is likely to have the negative effect of creating curiosity about the consumption of the drug, resulting in even more usage of it. It is suggested that rather than prohibiting marijuana, authorities should attempt to spread awareness of the drawbacks of marijuana among the masses and, especially, among the students. In this regards, regulations based on scientific knowledge should be developed for the use of marijuana and the tax receipts from the sale of marijuana should be used to fund various campaigns regarding the use of marijuana. Also, children that are punished for using marijuana are likely to end up consuming more of marijuana or other even more dangerous drugs due to the psychological impact of being punished. Therefore, it can be concluded that marijuana should be legalised but the legalisation should be accompanied with effective campaigns to create awareness regarding marijuana on a large scale.

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